Conventional mobile robots are typically supported on two, three, four or more wheels. The two-wheeled, self-balancing robots have the advantage that they can be tall with a relatively small footprint; however, they can have limitations with respect to load carrying capacity. On the other hand, the three- and four-wheeled robots are more stable and can have higher load carrying capacity, but less height. Accordingly, there is a need for a robot that has both the height of a self-balancing, two-wheeled robot and the load carrying capacity of a three- or four-wheeled robot.
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed embodiments. Further, the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded or reduced to help improve the understanding of the embodiments. Moreover, while the disclosed technology is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the embodiments described. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims.